Life With My Trio

by Steph // Monday, August 28, 2023 // Comments off

Life in my mid-fifties.

I either don’t have the personality to think way ahead to the future, or the brain space, but I really never thought much about what life would look like in this season we are in!

But I have to say, I couldn’t have imagined it better if I had.

The Lord has been so good and gracious to us by allowing our dream of a large family to come to fruition!!

I just wish He would have told me to nap more while I was young, ha, ha!!

My days are filled with sweet treasured relationships with the big kids – their phone calls, texts, and plans.

These days are filled with the blessing of grandchildren!!

They are also filled with church activities and committees.

They are filled with my girlfriends and I getting together now and again!

But mostly my days are filled with this trio of ours that are still at home full-time and still in school.

IT IS A SWEET SEASON, FRIENDS!!

How I enjoy these three youngest kiddos and our days together!

We have so much fun together!

They are great helpers to me in this busy life, and school would not have started on our normal timeline without their help this year.

We worked together to make it all happen – from rescheduling chores, choosing curriculum, choosing electives, setting up the schedule and moving everything around our home to be ready.

Thankful for this crew!!

Of course most of our time together is spent in school work for the biggest part of the year.

The Lord has been so very kind to me in this area, because all of our children have found school to be enjoyable and doable!

I know that is not always the norm!

God is also still giving me so much joy in teaching my children – and I have been at this a very long time!!

It is my favorite way to spend a day.

After school hours are over, we find all kinds of things to do with our time!

There are always chores to be done.

The children are VERY good at finding things to do on their own, but I keep them busy too as we work in the kitchen together and have places to be some days!

We enjoy a library visit, especially one that includes a bird sanctuary.

There are haircut appointments and other appointments – like Tate and Eliza’s medical check-ups.

Eliza did some dog sitting, which made a fun week here recently!

And of course we LOVE to be outside.

There are a few consistent things that split this cute trio of ours up – like Lane’s library job.

We are SO thankful for Lane’s job!!

I enjoy being with him on the Saturday mornings that he is scheduled for.

Another thing is Friday nights right now.

Friday nights mean volleyball for Lane with the big kids.

They love it and I love that they have that opportunity!!

That means that Blake and I have two adorable and fun sidekicks on Friday nights.

We usually try to find something fun to do together!

This certain Friday night we went to the local Co-op, got treats, and sat outside and played a game.

It was PERFECT!

There is a brand new twist to our Friday nights that I will tell you about in another post – and it is a GOOD ONE, so stay tuned!

What a wonderful mid-fifties for Blake and I, am I right??

These kiddos of ours are keeping us young!!

Ok, well, maybe, ha, ha.

I FEEL young anyway!!

Stay tuned for a great post about six very adorable grands!

They have a HUGE piece of my heart too!!!

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for allowing all these good things!!

I am in AWE of this thing called life!!!

Team Tate and Team Eliza Back to UW

by Steph // Tuesday, August 22, 2023 // Comments off

Last Tuesday, the day after our first day of school, Team Tate and Team Eliza headed back to UW Madison for what should be their last check-up of this year!

Blake and I were Tate and Eliza’s team that day, and Addie changed her day off of work so Lane would not be alone.

Siblings are currently not allowed in the hospital in Madison, so we could not take Lane with us!

We had two cute pups that we were watching last week, and Eliza came to find me that morning to tell me she had packed her backpack for the trip, ha, ha!

Nice try, sweet girl!

Our trip to Madison was uneventful and I wonder sometimes if our van could just get there all on its own because we go there so much!

Since Tate and Eliza’s first appointments started at 12:40 we gave ourselves enough time to grab some lunch before we headed to the hospital.

You know what it was, don’t you!!

Noodles, of course.

The first appointments that day were renal ultrasounds times two.

We call this “jelly on the belly” and Tate and Eliza have had this ultrasound many many times over the years since they have been home.

This checks on their bladders and their kidneys, which is important in children who have spina bifida.

We were asked to wear masks in the imaging area, but not anywhere else in the hospital.

Nope, I don’t get that either!

Next we headed upstairs to meet the new Urology NP.

The nurse practitioner that the children have seen since they arrived home from China retired this year.

The wait was not long at all!

We got checked in, which means the kiddos were weighed and measured.

We know Tate’s height and weight because he has had other appointments recently.

Eliza, not surprisingly really, is one half an inch away from 5 feet tall!!

Our leggy girl!

We met the new NP and LOVED her.

She showed us Tate and Eliza’s scans and she asked the kiddos some important questions.

Guess what?

All is STABLE!!

YAHOO!!

Next up was a quick stop at Costco were I was going to grab a few things and then saw THIS.

What in the world – why do I never know about things like this!!!!

That gave Blake and I the idea to make sure there wasn’t any other hidden gems there that day!

Which, of course, made our cart fuller than we intended, ha, ha!

But those truffles are PERFECTION my friends.

On our way out of town we stopped at a new favorite little coffee shop and barged right in to only learned that they were closed for the day.

Oops!

So we stopped at Kwik Trip instead to get Blake a coffee and the kiddos some lemonade.

Then it was time to head home!!

We arrived home around 5:30 to a delicious meal made by a beautiful daughter whom I cherish very much!!

It was an easy but long day!

Medical days just ARE that – even though there really was nothing to be worried about!

We could not be more thankful for the care our two precious Chinese cherubs receive at UW Madison Children’s Hospital.

Every single person we have dealt with there has been nothing short of absolutely wonderful!

It sure makes caring for the medical complexities of Tate and Eliza SO VERY EASY.

Praise the Lord with us!!!

Our Tate Owen and Eliza Claire are S T A B L E!!!!

And we do not have any appointments, Lord willing, until next summer!!!!

Thank you, Jesus, for all You have done!

First Day of School 2023

by Steph // Monday, August 21, 2023 // Comments off

Believe or not, school started for us here at Moschel Academy one week ago!

I have always started school the second Monday of August.

I had SO many reasons not to do that this year, but knew that the Lord would bless my efforts even in all the other busyness that was trying to take me away from this goal!

And He has.

Of course He has.

If you have been here awhile, you might remember that we have first day of school traditions!

We always have a special breakfast, see all the new school items for the year, and have school photos taken.

We added a new tradition this year – but not just for the first day of school – and it currently is my most favorite tradition EVER!

I asked Blake if he could stay home later in the mornings and long enough to eat breakfast with us from now on, and he said YES!!

Well, I have tears in my eyes just typing that.

Our special breakfast on the first day of school was bacon, scrambled eggs, and homemade English muffins.

I somehow slept through my alarm that morning – I know!!!

I still was able to be in God’s Word while the bacon cooked, so it was all good!

We had some furry visitors for the first week of school, and they did not know our meal time rules, ha, ha!

The children were SO excited about their new schedules.

I had also switched up all of their chores several weeks ago, and they have mastered them already.

I like to have the chore rotation and learning done before the first day of school.

I have chores too!

Mondays are my laundry day – but we all have laundry chores.

Our first day of school photos are another favorite tradition of ours!

How I enjoy looking back at how much the children have grown and changed.

Look at my line up this year!

Eliza Claire, 11 years old, 6th grade

Tate Owen, 12 years old, 6th grade

Lane Stevan, 15 years old, 10th grade

And just like that, our 2023-2024 school year began!!

These three are enthusiastic, diligent, full of initiative, and just a joy to be around!!

We are running with strong interests that Lane, Tate and Eliza each have, and it is a joy to watch them learn and grow in the areas that interest them!

Eliza is currently is all about animals.

Hence the goats and chickens in our backyard!

She also loves anything paper and pencils.

And of course she LOVES playing the piano.

She also is very athletic, and enjoys reading too.

Tate’s love has been, and continues to be the kitchen.

He and I enjoy working in the kitchen together, and I just praise the Lord that his love for cooking and baking is so easy to fulfill because we have a lot of bellies to feed here!

Tate also loves to read.

He devours books.

And he loves being with people.

Lane still is pushing toward a career in engineering.

He loves all things computer, and excels at computer aided designs, building robots, math, and science.

His mind is amazing!!

Lane loves to read, and he loves to eat, ha, ha!

He enjoys being outside as well.

Blake and I marvel in the children and how very different each one of them is.

Fearfully and wonderfully made by the Lord Himself!!

Here’s to our school year!!

For growth, learning, enjoyment, fellowship, and that we will finish in the spring looking back with no regrets!

Happy school year, everyone!!

Summer Days of July

by Steph // Tuesday, August 8, 2023 // Comments off

How I enjoy looking back at a post like this one in the middle of our long Wisconsin winters.

July is the BEST part of summer!!

It actually gets very hot here – just not for very long – and most of the time those hot days are in July.

MY FAVORITE kind of weather.

We were outside a lot – and I will continue to purpose being outside a lot – because it is just so good for us!

We gave Blake a Blackstone grill for Father’s Day!

He finally went and picked one out several weeks later and we have used it endlessly since then.

I KNEW he would love it!!

He enjoys cooking so many things on our deck now!

I have two other cuties who like to be helping with food too!

They wanted to make this dessert for a family get together all by themselves.

I was nearby, and helped get things out and put them away, but they made delicious individual peach cobblers.

Good job, you two!!

Of course, Blake, Tate, and Eliza are not the only ones loving to cook here at Twin Oaks.

I have been busy in the kitchen as well, as always!!

And still only getting grocery every two weeks, even though it is the biggest job that way!

It takes two carts every time.

Blake and I had an impromptu date one Sunday afternoon.

We went to our local Co-op, had a smoothie, and talked and talked!

It was WONDERFUL.

Addie blessed us with the opportunity to have a date night on a Friday night as well!

We had a lot of back to school errands to run, but got some treats at the grocery store to go and watch the sunset at the river.

We watched the sunset quick as a storm rolled in!

I still had the BEST time – because being with Blake is my favorite thing!!

We also took our trio on a date on a Friday night!

We ate dinner out, and then we split up boys and girls.

I took Eliza to Hobby Lobby to get some scrapbook supplies, because she wanted to make a scrapbook!

She LOVED doing this project (just like her mama in SO many ways!!)!

She has already finished it as I type this and it sits proudly on our coffee table downstairs.

We have endless sources of joy right in our backyard!!

Our garden, the animals, and that pool.

Every time we are out there, I am just overwhelmed with what the Lord has allowed!!

Twin Oaks is a very sweet place to be.

Our garden has been wonderful!!

We have enjoyed so many yummy things!!

We did have the return of the dreaded Japanese beetles.

I seriously almost cried the day I first saw them!

We are using the bags to draw them off our of garden plants.

They are also eating all the leaves on our trees this year!

Makes me crazy!!!

Thankful that the bags are “working” although we are not completely sure if it is the best way to deal with them.

Our animals bring us SO MUCH JOY!!

We play with them everyday, and enjoy their personalities very much!

And we are reaping the benefits of all of those beautiful hens!

Sundays are usually full of family.

Sundays fill my cup for the week ahead!!!

We enjoy this season of life so much!

I will admit, it has taken me a bit to settle in to this season – there are so many moving parts!!

The Lord has allowed a great work in my heart, though, and I am enjoying this craziness VERY MUCH.

I hardly ever take photos on Sundays – or if I do it is just one photo.

So here is a random assortment of Sunday photos – memories still worth keeping!

Speaking of Sundays, we were blessed to host our annual church baptisms in our pool again this year.

First we have an all church picnic at a park, and then we head to our backyard to listen to testimonies and watch some very precious people be baptized!

We got the yard in good shape the day before the baptisms – and my hubby even rented a huge mower to make quick work of it all!!

We enjoy this tradition here at Twin Oaks SO VERY MUCH!!

My trio here at home and I have had a good summer routine.

We have Lane’s library job on Monday and Wednesdays, we would do our school rhythm on Tuesdays, we of course spend time in projects every day, we spend time with Kay’s enjoying those grand kiddos, and then there is all of that outside time and running around time as well!

We did the big clothes try on and switcheroo a couple of weeks ago.

Not really sure why I had Lane try any of his old clothes on??

He is growing an inch a day, I think!!

He is already taller than me!

It has been a fun summer with this crew of mine!!

Our July Hymn Sing was sweet!

We had it outside!

Until it started to rain, and then we moved into our friend’s shop!

It was a wonderful night.

Besides ALL of those things above in this post that I love, I have some other things that bring me joy too!

The little den I love to sit in for my quiet time or rest, the blessing of essential oils and how much they have helped us, preparing for school next week, the blessing of a new cookbook to make new recipes from, candles to burn at dinner time, the beautiful landscape in front of our home, laundry to fold meaning I have a lot of precious people here, and good books to read as I continue my journey to health, and the gift of garlic from Kay’s farm…..

It is always the BIG things!!